Switch construction with switch base and telescoping cover



June 30, 1970 G. M. HIIPPLE 3,518,391

SWITCH CONSTRUCTION WITH SWITCH BASE AND TELESCOPING COVER Filed April 18, 1968 INVENTOR GEORGE M. HIPPLE HIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,518,391 SWITCH CONSTRUCTION WITH SWITCH BASE AND TELESCOPING COVER George M. Hipple, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to Robertshaw Controls Company, Richmond, Va., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 722,307 Int. Cl. HOlh 9/02 U.S. Cl. 200168 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This application discloses a switch construction with a flat sided switch base and a fiat sided telescoping cover and method of making the same. The switch base has two pairs of adjoining opposed fiat base sides and a pair of adjoining base ends, with the base encompassing a switch cavity and a switch access opening, with switch means in such cavity. A flat sided cover telescopes over the flat sides of the base and covers the switch in the cavity and the access opening and tightly seals the same. A switch actuator extends out of the base, and the cover has an actuator receiving opening to accept the actuator.

This invention relates to a switch construction with switch base and telescoping cover, and method of making the same.

One of the features of this invention includes a switch construction with a flat sided switch base and a telescoping fiat sided cover so that the base and cover may be assembled by telescoping them similarly to the telescoping action of a match box.

Another feature of this invention includes an insulative switch base with two pairs of adjoining, opposed, flat, internally slidable sides and a pair of adjoining base ends, said sides and ends encompassing a switch cavity in said base, one or more of said base sides having a switch access opening means connected to said switch cavity, with a switch means in said cavity, and with an insulative switch base cover for said base, said cover having two pairs of adjoining opposed, flat, internally slidable cover sides slidably receiving, telescoping over, and covering said slidable base sides and covering said switch, said switch cavity, and said switch access opening means.

Another feature of this invention includes the immediately preceding feature, with said switch having a switch actuator extending out of one of said slidable base sides, and the corresponding cover side having an actuator receiving opening into which said actuator extends.

Another feature of this invention includes the immediately preceding two features and in which said actuator receiving opening is materially larger than said actuator to accept and make accessible other members extending from said last named base side.

Another feature of this invention includes the immediately preceding three features in which said internally slidable cover sides tightly seal against said slidable base sides substantially to seal said switch, switch cavity, and switch access opening means.

Other features are apparent from this description, the appended claimed subject matter, and/or the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of the switch means, switch base, and switch base cover in separated condition, and with the switch means in the switch cavity.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, with the cover and base partially telescoped together.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross section taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a switch con- 'ice struction according to this invention about to be secured to a support by fastener means or screws.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a plurality of switch constructions according to this invention assembled adjacent a support, and about to be secured thereto by fastener means or screws.

Certain words are used in this application indicating direction, relative position, and the like. Such words are used for the sake of clearness and brevity. Also, such words are used only in connection with the views of the drawings, and the parts so described, in actual use, may have different direction, relative position, and the like. Examples of such words are upper, lower, vertical, horizontal, and the like.

A switch construction 20, according to this invention, may include an insulative switch base 22, having two pairs 24, 26 and 28, 30 of adjoining opposed, flat externally slidable, base sides, and a pair 32, 34 of adjoining base ends.

The adjoining sides 24, 26, 28 and 30 encompass a switch cavity 36 in said base. One or more of said base sides may have a switch access opening means 38 connected to said switch cavity 36.

A switch means 40 may be placed and assembled in the switch cavity 36. For example, such switch means may be of any switch blade construction, which is readily recognized by those skilled in the art. For example, such switch means may include stationary contact blades 42, 44, snap contact blades 46, snap spring 48, and actuator blade 50, which are diagrammatically illustrated, as an example of such a switch means. The contact blades 42, 44 and 46 may extend from the switch cavity 36 through slots in the base 22 and out of the base end 34 to provide electrical connector means 52, 54 and 56. The actuator blade 50 may be actuated up and down by the plunger or plunger means 58, which passes through an opening in the base side 28 and which activates the switch means 40 through the medium of blade 50.

An insulative switch base cover 60, for the base 22, may have two pairs of adjoining, opposed, flat, internally slidable, cover sides 62, 64 and 66, 68 slidably receiving, telescoping over, and covering the slidable base sides 24, 26, 28 and 30. Such cover 60 may cover the switch means 40, the switch cavity 36, and the switch access opening means 38.

The base 22 and the cover 60 may be telescoped, and untelescoped, in a manner somewhat similar to the telescoping action of a match box, as will be readily recognized.

The switch means 40 has the actuator means or plunger 58 extending out of the base side 28, for example, and the corresponding cover side 62 has an actuator means opening receiving means 70 into which the actuator means or plunger 58 extends, as shown in FIG. 4.

The said actuator means receiving opening means 70 is materially larger than said actuator means so that it can accept and make accessible other members that may extend from such last named base side 28.

The internally slidable cover sides 62, 64 and 66, 68 may be made so that they tighly seal against the slidable base sides 24, 26, 28 and 30 substantially to seal such switch means, switch cavity, and the switch access opening means 36.

The switch base 22 and the base cover 60 may have, respectively, opening means 72 and 74 which may be aligned with each other when the base and cover are in the completely telescoped condition of FIG. 4. These openings 72 and 74 may receive any type of fastener means, such as screws 76. Such fastener means or screws 76 may be used to lock the base 22 and cover 60 together against untelescoping action, if desired. Additionally, if desired, such opening means 72 and 74 may receive the longer screws 76 illustrated in FIG. 4 which may be used simultaneously to lock the cover and base together, and to mount the switch construction on any type of support 78, which may be any type of supporting board with screw receiving openings 80. This securely and conveniently locks the cover and base together and the switch construction 20 on the support 78.

A plurality 82 of switch constructions 20 may be stacked or assembled together, as shown in FIG. 5, so that they may be secured to a support 84 by the screws or other type of fasteners 86 which may pass the aligned openings 72 and 74, which have been previously shown and described in conection with the other figures. Thus, the plurality of switch constructions 20 may be readily mounted and secured to the support or board 84.

A great advantage is obtained by the switch construction of this invention, and particularly because such con struction may be assembled and made by a very simple method.

Such method may include forming the insulative switch base 22 with the two pairs of adjoining, opposed, flat externally slidable base sides 24, 26, 28 and 30 and with the pair of adjoining base ends 32 and 34, and with such sides and ends encompassing a switch cavity 36 in such base 22 with one or more of such base sides having a switch access opening means 38 connected to such switch cavity 36. The switch means 40 is placed in the switch cavity 36. The insulative switch base cover 60 for the base 22 is made with the cover having two pairs of adjoining, opposed, fiat, internally slidable cover sides 62, 64, 66 and 68 to receive and cover the slidable base sides 24, 26, 28 and 30, and to cover said switch means, said switch cavity, and said switch access opening means. Then the base 22 and cover 60 are telescoped with the cover sides covering the base sides.

The coves 60 and base 22 may be made of any insulative material well known in this art, such as of the well known thermosetting or thermoplastic materials.

The method may include further steps to provide switch actuator means extending out of the side 28, for example, and extending into the actuator means receiving opening means 70 into which the actuator means extends. In practicing the method, the opening means 70 may be made materially larger than the actuator means 58, to accept and make accessible any other members that may extend from said last named base side 28.

The plunger means 58 may be sufliciently pushed in to allow the cover side 62 to pass over the plunger means 58, both during the telescoping and untelescoping operations.

The method may make the internally slidable cover sides 62, 64, 66 and 68 tightly to seal against the slidable sides 24, 26, 28 and 30 substantially to seal such switch means, switch cavity and the switch access opening means. Also, such method may provide the base and cover locking and/or mounting fastener openings 72 and 74 to secure the base and cover together against untelescoping action or to mount the switch construction 20 to a support 78 or to mount a plurality of such switch constructions 20 to a support 84, as desired.

Thus a new, useful, and unobvious switch construction and method of making the same have been provided.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination:

an insulative switch base having two pairs of adjoining,

opposed, flat, externally slidable, base sides and a pair of adjoining base ends, said sides an ends encompassing a switch cavity in said base, at least one of said base sides having switch access opening means connected to said switch cavity;

switch means in said switch cavity;

and an insulative switch base cover for said base, said cover being in sleeve form and having two pairs of adjoining, opposed, fiat, internally slidable, cover sides slidably receiving, telescoping over, and covering at least part of each said slidable base sides and covering said swtich means, said switch cavity, and said switch access opening means.

2. A combination according to claim 1 with said switch means having a switch actuator means extending out of one of said slidable base sides and the corresponding cover side having an actuator means receiving opening means into which said actuator means extends.

3. A combination according to claim 2 in which said actuator mean receiving opening means is materially larger than said actuator means to accept and make accessible other members extending from said last named base side.

4. A combination according to claim 1 in which said internally slidable cover sides tightly seal against said slidable base sides substantially to seal said switch means, switch cavity and switch access opening means.

5. A combination according to claim 1 in which said base and cover have alignable fastener opening means to receive fastener means to secure said base and said cover together.

6. A combination according to claim 1 in which said base and cover have mounting fastener means receiving opening means aligned with each other when said cover covers said base.

7. A combination according to claim 6, a support for said combination, and fastener means passing through said fastener means opening means and secured to said support.

8. A combination according to claim 6, another combination according to claim 6 adjacent said first named combination, said combinations having aligned fastener means opening means; a support for said combinations; and common fastener means passing through said aligned fastener means opening means and secured to said support.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,735,918 2/1956 Darr 200-168 3,198,925 8/1965 Starrantino 200-172 3,377,454 4/ 1968 Faggiano 200-168 3,392,254 7/ 1968 Long 200-168 HERMAN O. JONES, Primary Examiner 

